What does it mean to be Anglican?

“Anglicans bring together traditions from the early centuries of Christianity, ancient Celtic Christianity, medieval Catholicism and the European Reformation of the sixteenth century.”

St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane

UNIVERSAL

Anglicans are Christians, members of the universal church, valuing what is distinctive about the worldwide Anglican Communion. Anglicans seek to work with the Holy Spirit to overcome divisions between churches, so that all Christians may be one.

WORSHIPPING GOD

Worship of God is central to Anglicans.

There is variety in Anglican worship: contemporary and informal, or traditional and formal. A special place is given to the Eucharist, in which we share the sacrament (the visible sign with spiritual meaning) of the body and blood of Christ.

Reading and meditating on the Bible plays a major part in Anglican life and belief.

HISTORY

  • Anglicans bring together traditions from the early centuries of Christianity, ancient Celtic Christianity, medieval Catholicism and the European Reformation of the sixteenth century.

  • The name Anglican indicates roots in the Church of England and still involves being in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

A CONTEMPORARY PICTURE

  • Today, Anglicans embrace a variety of languages and cultures from many different parts of the world, giving distinctive features to our worship, church life and theology.

  • Anglicans today are actively exploring how our own land and multicultural heritage enrich Australian Anglicanism.

  • Anglicans world-wide are seeking to reflect something of the unity-in-diversity of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit: three persons in one God.

Information supplied by the late Canon Dr Don Edwards, BD, PhD, Grad Cert ED,
 Anglican Church Southern Queensland.

Four Pillars of Anglicanism

There are four historically developed pillars of the Anglican Church: the centrality of the Holy Scriptures, the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds, the twin sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, and the Historic Episcopate. For more information on this so-called Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1888, click on the button below.

Anglican Decision Making

IN THE PARISH

Every parish has at least two wardens. Their role is to act as a bridge between the priest and parishioners, and to act as chief administrative assistants, especially where there is no paid administrator in the parish. The selection of who becomes priest’s warden is made by the priest. Each parish also has at least one people’s warden, depending on its size. Smaller parishes (like St Michael’s New Farm) have one people’s warden and larger parishes have two people’s wardens. A people’s warden is elected by members of the parish at their annual general meeting (AGM). For more information on the role of wardens, and their historical and scriptural origins, click on to the button below.

The AGM is typically held in February each year. It’s purpose is to:

  • Bring reports of the major activities of the parish in the previous 12 months

  • Confirm the parish budget, including mission initiatives, for the next 12 months, and

  • Vote to fill position for various office bearers.

Members of each parish elect a parish council from their membership, to represent them as a decision-making body. Parish councils vary in size, depending on how large their parishes are. St Michael’s has six parish councilors voted in, as well as the priest’s warden, people’s warden and treasurer - who are automatically members of parish council. Other office bearing positions filled at the AGM include: parish nominators, treasurer and Synod representatives. Parish nominators, are those who would meet in the circumstance of the parish priest leaving their post, to assist in the selection of a replacement priest. The treasurer oversees the parish finances, including tracking spending, paying for expenses, collating incoming moneys and preparing a budget. Synod representatives attend the annual Synod, to represent the parish in the discussions, debates, and decision-making with other parish representatives across the diocese.

DIOCESAN DECISION MAKING

There are two major decision making bodies in the diocese: Synod and diocesan council.

Synod

The following button connects to the Anglican Church Southern Qld website to give a brief overview of Synod.

Diocesan Council

Diocesan council (DC) is a decision making body that meets regularly throughout the year. It contains ex-officio (automatically included) members and elected members (clergy and laity - non-clergy). Ex-officio members include the Archbishop (currently vacant), the three Regional Bishops and the Chancellor. Elected members number 10 in total - five clergy and five laity.

Ordained Ministry

Click on the button below to read more about the three orders of ordained ministry in the Anglican Church: bishops, priests and deacons.

Worship, Liturgy and the Prayer Book

Central to the Anglican Church is its approach to worship. Worship is our outpouring of love towards God - giving worth to God in response to our sense of the Divine’s infinite value. Worship can be public and shared (eg with others in a church worship centre), or private and individual (eg a person’s individual Christian practices of prayer, bible study and meditation in their own home). Liturgy, is the name given to the ceremonies and rituals of public worship, including the role of those who lead it and those others who participate in it. Some have described liturgy as the, “work of the people”. Anglican liturgy has a distinctive ‘shape’ to it, that is expressed in the Australian context most recently through A Prayer Book for Australia (1978), and through other more recent, authorised liturgy (“liturgical”) resources. Anglicanism is sometime described as the denomination of the the Prayer Book. The foundational prayer book historically for Anglicans across the world is The Book of Common Prayer - first formulated by Thomas Cranmer of The Church of England in 1559, before being revised several times over the next 120 years. Subsequent prayer books maintained the basic shape of the liturgy as outlined by Cranmer in the sixteenth century. Cranmer based his prayer book on a collation of several sources, including a:

  • Latin liturgy used in England since the thirteenth century

  • Collection of Catholic devotions and prayers from sixteenth century Spain, and

  • Book on liturgy and doctrine from Germany.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, and their elders past and present.
We honour the connection the traditional custodians have with this land.